Next up, Stoke. Never an easy team to beat, but they're not playing well right now. However, without striker options, we may be in trouble. Stoke's defenders are big, but not fast. This might be a good game to play Kasami or Johnson playing up top and perhaps Frei on the wing.
DR will agree with you. Think we need to get back to 4-2-3-1 with anyone on the top apart from Dempsey. Not that he is not doing well but he is more effective coming from the midfield.
DR agree about Stokes defenders not being speedy,this may be an opportunity to use Frei, who can take them on .and a good time to blood Trotta,who himself is big ~ strong. And remind Jol that there is a defender called Briggs who has got to be better than the stop gaps he keeps playing.
Any new predictions on our next three matches. I will stick with my original forecast. OK the game against Wolves is at home but my result predictions still stays.
Re Stoke's defenders - don't forget Huth is suspended so won't be playing - a crumb of comfort. I think it will be a close game but we can edge it with some speed up front and some noise from the Hammy End
Briggs has gone on loan to Peterborough for a month. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/16930227 Hopefully he'll do well enough to convince Jol that he's worth selecting ahead of Riise towards the end of the season.
Briggs has intimated that, all being well, he would like to stay till the end of the season - http://www.ealinggazette.co.uk/sport/fulham-fc-ealing/2012/02/08/briggs-open-to-posh-stay-82029-30293118/ The Posh have been leaking goals but I guess that might mean he'll gain useful experience in defending.
Stoke will do us no favours and we will lose this one I think. 1-0. Actually not sure how many more we will win this season. No proper front man is seriously worrying.
We signed a striker! He's now in the country and training with the squad and says he's available and ready for selection. I don't know if he's going to start tomorrow or not. I don't know how good or bad he is, but let's not write him off as being 'not a proper front man' until we've, oh, I don't know, seen him play! I get that some people on this board are negative about the rest of the season. Fair enough, you're fully entitled to that point of view. But let's not assume that we are doomed to play the rest of the season without a proper front man when we've just signed a massive, strong International centre-forward. Rant over. It's been a hard day at work. Sorry.
Not in person, no. I have however caught some of his performances for Stuttgart, I take a great interest in the Bundesliga. And what good is having three strikers in the squad if they're always injured?
Questions are all ways being asked about our strike ability or lack of it. Is it not time to give the Pod a chance,along with a bit of a run out for Trotta ( and not Roger Bannister style). This side is in my opinion the best we have had since entering the premiership, and we are somewhat fluffing about at times, like headless chickens, if we do not get max results from our next 3 home games something has got to be seriously wrong.
I don't think it is the best team we've had since entering the PL. The team Tigana had with VDS, Finnan, Davis, Boa Morte, Saha, Malbranque etc I think was a touch better than the one we have now.
I have a good feeling for tomorrow's game. I predicted a win a few weeks ago and I still reckon we'll do it. The Man City game was poor really. There were times we had good pocession but was far from out best game. At the Cottage we are a different team. As for Pog, I agree, let's give him at least a chance this change of environment could be just what he needs. We need to get behind him if he plays and boost his confidence. Gonna be cold !! (again)
Forget Trotta for tomorrow - Jol obviously doesn't think he's ready and is looking to put him back out on loan (despite the guy already having said he didn't want that). http://www.fulhamchronicle.co.uk/london-sport/fulham-fc/2012/02/10/trotta-set-for-fulham-exit-82029-30307903/ Looks like the Pog will get his chance. If he does, I don't see it backfiring as with Ruiz but it's a heck of a baptism. For that reason alone (well maybe his name as well) I'm sure the fans will get behind him. Know I will. PS Looking forward to seeing Chris Foy's response to the Badger's inevitable antics following his red card the last time they met.
I think Jol may well have missed a trick here with Trotta. He was probably on top of the world after scoring 8 goals in as many games for Wycombe and Jol should have taken advantage of his confidence by playing him more. Another loan move is only going to send out the message that he is not good enough for FFC. He is currently the only fit striker available for tomorrow with Pog being a 'maybe' and Jol still won't use him?
Senderos is out for a few weeks after the injury he picked up at Man City, so it's Hughes or Baird at CB. I'd go with Baird personally as he looked pretty sound when playing there earlier in the season. If he's fit and ready then Pog should play. It will take him time to adapt, but it's got to be better than using Dempsey as a makeshift striker again. Fairly confident that we'll get something from the game, although it'll be tough as usual against Stoke. Dempsey to score (again).
Bandit With you on this one re:Trotta. looking forward to the game,cold enough to make them want to keep on the move. A win of any sorts would boost confidence no end.